2.3 Prerequisites and Project Setup

Who Runs LEED?

Three organizations show up across the exam. Keep their roles distinct:

A classic exam trap: USGBC does not certify buildings. GBCI certifies; USGBC develops. Likewise, GBCI — not USGBC — administers your LEED AP exam.

Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs)

Minimum Program Requirements (MPRs) are the eligibility floor. A project that does not meet every MPR cannot pursue LEED certification at all — no credits, no exceptions. There are three MPRs in LEED v4.1:

MPR 1 — Must Be in a Permanent Location on Existing Land

The building must be on permanent, existing land. Mobile structures, vehicles, and buildings on artificial floating bases generally do not qualify. Buildings designed to move (manufactured homes that will be relocated, for example) are excluded. Cruise ships, trailers, and trade-show pavilions are common wrong answers — none qualify.

MPR 2 — Must Use Reasonable LEED Boundaries

The LEED project boundary is the geographic area submitted for certification. It must:

• Include all contiguous land that is part of the project (or that supports its operations, such as on-site parking)
• Not unreasonably gerrymander — you cannot draw the boundary to exclude a parking lot just because it would lose a credit
• Not include land owned by parties unaffiliated with the project
• Be consistent across all credits — the same boundary applies to LT, SS, WE, and the rest

MPR 3 — Must Comply with Project Size Requirements

Minimum project sizes vary by rating system family:

Picking the Right Rating System: The 40/60 Rule

LEED publishes many rating systems, and a single project can usually only use one. When a project includes multiple space types or is on the edge between systems, the 40/60 rule decides:

If a rating system is appropriate for ≤40% of the gross floor area, do not use it.

If a rating system is appropriate for ≥60% of the gross floor area, use it.

Between 40% and 60%, the project team chooses the system that best fits the project, and must justify the choice.

Worked Example

A new 200,000 sq ft mixed-use building has:

• 130,000 sq ft of office (65%)
• 50,000 sq ft of retail (25%)
• 20,000 sq ft of restaurant (10%)

Because office exceeds 60% of gross floor area, the project must use LEED BD+C: New Construction. Retail and restaurant follow that system as ancillary uses.

If the office were only 45% of the building and retail were 45%, the team would have discretion — they would choose the system whose credits better match the dominant operations and document the rationale.

BD+C Rating System Family

LEED v4.1 BD+C includes the following sub-systems, all earning out of 110 points:

• New Construction (NC) — default for most ground-up commercial and institutional buildings
• Core and Shell (CS) — for developers who control envelope and base building but not tenant fit-out
• Schools — K-12 educational buildings
• Retail — retail-specific operations and traffic patterns
• Hospitality — hotels and similar lodging
• Data Centers — large IT load operations
• Warehouses and Distribution Centers — warehouse-specific energy and lighting baselines
• Healthcare — inpatient facilities (different from ID+C: Healthcare for clinics)

v4 vs v4.1

LEED v4.1 is the current BD+C version and is the default for new registrations. LEED v4 remains a valid path for projects already registered under v4 within USGBC's sunset window, and project teams can adopt individual v4.1 credit substitutions into a v4-registered project. Expect the exam to default to v4.1 language.

Project Registration Workflow

The administrative path from idea to certified building runs through LEED Online:

1. Register the project on LEED Online via USGBC and pay the registration fee — this locks in the rating system version and starts the review timer
2. Build the team and assign credit responsibilities inside LEED Online
3. Pursue prerequisites and credits, uploading documentation as it is produced
4. Submit for review — projects may use a single combined design + construction review or a split design/construction review
5. Respond to review comments — GBCI may flag items needing clarification
6. Receive certification — GBCI awards the level achieved (Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum)
7. Submit a Credit Interpretation Request (CIR) at any point during the project if a credit requirement is ambiguous for the specific project context; file an appeal through LEED Online if the team disagrees with a final ruling (appeal fee applies)

Project Boundary Pitfalls (Exam Targets)

The LEED project boundary is one of the most commonly missed concepts on the exam. Remember:

• The boundary is declared once and used consistently across LT, SS, WE, and IN credits
• You cannot exclude land simply because it would help win a credit — this is gerrymandering and disqualifies the project from the credit and possibly from certification
• For Core and Shell projects, the boundary must include the entire building, including tenant spaces that fall under project control, because LT/SS/WE credits apply at the whole-building level
• For campuses, USGBC publishes specific LEED Campus guidance — that is a separate path the exam may reference but rarely tests in depth